


Lost and Found

by fieryslytherin



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Sorry Not Sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-22
Updated: 2016-05-11
Packaged: 2018-05-22 16:32:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6086785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fieryslytherin/pseuds/fieryslytherin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Years have passed since Marinette and Adrien first set out on the path of Chat Noir and Ladybug. They have already discovered each other's identities and fallen in love. Eventually they have a child. This takes place when their child is three years old.....</p><p>It was supposed to be a nice night,  a night that was supposed to be perfect. Nice enough for a married Marinette and Adrien to take their three year old son Eric out on patrol.  Nothing bad was supposed to happen, just an opportunity for the family to enjoy some time together and appreciate Eric's cute cat onesie. It was never supposed to turn into a fight against hawkmoth of all people. There was never supposed to be any point where Eric was in danger. Hawkmoth was never supposed to have a moment where he had an opportunity to kidnap their beloved son. But THAT is exactly what happened.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lost

Marinette lay motionless in the hospital bed, the only sign of life was the heart monitor next to her. Adrien sat in a chair next to her bed gripping one of her hands tightly. Tears streamed down his face in silence. “Please Marinette,” he whispered to her. “Please wake up, I can’t lose you too.” His green eyes were filled with a pleading look he hoped would somehow reach her in her current state. He brought her fingers to his lips and lightly kissed them. A few moments passed and, as if he had broke a magic spell, her eyes fluttered open. Relief flooded through his stomach as her eyes met his.  
She had a desperate look in her eyes, as if she was searching for something. Marinette looked at him with a pleading look and he knew what she wanted to know. Tears began rolling down his face again, giant tears that threatened to flood the room. His body began to shake as he tried to muster up the words to explain what had happened. He didn’t need any words. As soon as he lost his composure he was sure Marinette would know why. Sure enough he felt her body stiffen. She began to sob, giant tears rolled down the sides of her face. As she cried Adrien felt his heart break in two, and the whole world turned to black and white.  
“I’m so sorry, It’s all my fault” He whispered.

***** 

It was the middle of september, and Adrien was overly excited. “Please, oh please Marinette.” Adrien pleaded, following after his wife like a little kitten asking for a ball of yarn.  
Marinette had a conflicted look on her face, as if she wanted to give in, but wasn’t completely convinced yet. “Adrien, you know I would love to bring him with us, but what if something unexpected happens?” She queried.  
“There is nothing that could possibly happen tonight, this is the most peaceful month for akumas historically, besides, I think it’s about time Eric saw how we worked. You know, get him into the family business, after all,” He responded. She gave him a sideways look as she walked into the other room where a beautiful blonde haired boy was in a crib waiting to greet them. As soon as the two of them walked into the room the little boy’s face light up.  
“Mommy, Daddy” He exclaimed. Being a shy 3 year old there weren’t many words that he could or would say, but those two words where his favorite.  
“Why hello there my little Prince,” Adrien cooed reaching in to take him out of the crib. “Do you want to go out with Chat Noir and Ladybug tonight?” Eric nodded his head enthusiastically. Marinette glared at him for a few seconds.  
“I never agreed to let him come along.” She reminded him.  
“But you never said no either,” Adrien retorted.  
“Well...” She began, looking at both of their pleading faces “How can I say no to my two favorite men” She conceded. “Fine, Eric can come with us on patrol tonight.”  
“You won’t regret it” Adrien purred kissing her on the cheek.  
“I swear, I’ve been married to you for five years and it still amazes me how much of a child you can be.” She cooed back at him. Adrien grinned back at her as she continued talking, “Anyways if our darling son is going to come with us he is going to need a costume, and what better costume than the official Dupont-Cheng Chat Noir onesie!” She smiled pulling a footie pajama version of Chat Noir’s costume out of a drawer by Eric’s crib.  
“Wow,” Adrien said in awe. “Who would have thought that Marinette Agreste had a soft spot for Chat Noir... I might just get jealous.” He pretended to pout.  
“Oh don’t start. Besides these things are selling like hot cakes, apparently people see Chat Noir as a role model or something. If only they knew what a huge dork he actually is.” Marinette retorted. Adrien heard a snicker from the other room. No doubt Plagg was laughing at him. Adrien rolled his eyes.  
“Let’s just transform and go, I want this night to be purrfect for Eric.” Adrien said finally. Marinette smiled, her eyes sparkling as everything in the world seemed wonderful.  
“I want that too.” She responded.

A few minutes of coaxing a certain kwami with cheese and two brief transformations later and Adrien, Marinette, and Little Eric were all out on the streets of paris on patrol. Marinette had added some cat ears to go along with the tail to the outfit Eric was wearing and Chat Noir adored it. He loved how much the outfit complimented Eric’s blue eyes, the only physical feature that seemed to deviate from his own looks. Only time would tell if their son was more of a world renowned model like his father, or if he would grow up to follow in his mother’s footsteps and become the most talented designer in decades. Chat Noir smiled just thinking of the endless possibilities.  
“What are you thinking about you silly kitty?” Ladybug asked as she looked out on the quiet streets of paris.  
“Only how absolutely stunning you are in this light, my lady” Chat Noir  
“You say that all the time,” She countered, but blushed nonetheless.  
“I mean it all the time,” He replied while looking intently into her deep blue eyes. They always captivated him no matter how often he looked into them. Ladybug’s eyes sparkled at his comment, even as she she turned her gaze to Eric who was in Chat Noir’s arms. Eric had this huge grin on his face as took in the world around him. Chat Noir couldn’t help but think how new and fresh it must feel to look at Paris through Eric’s eyes. He felt a pang of brief jealously wishing for a second he could be young again. The feeling faded fast as he remembered how wonderful his life was and how blessed he was to have such a happy family.  
As they continued their patrol Eric would excitedly point anything that he thought would be a “danger” he wanted them to check out. For the most part, however, Paris was completely dead without even the hint of hawkmoth or even an akuma attack. Chat Noir and Ladybug kept stealing glances at each other as if they were newlyweds and not approaching their 5th wedding anniversary.  
Everything about the evening seemed magical, just as Chat Noir had always pictured it. Like any magic spell the illusion can be broken in a heartbeat. “well well well,” They heard a deep bass practically cackle from behind them. Chat Noir and Ladybug spun around to see none other than Hawkmoth standing before them. Eric began to whimper slightly and Chat Noir shifted his grip of Eric slightly. His heart practically beating out of his chest. “Isn’t this a pleasant surprise.”  
“Hawkmoth,” Ladybug growled her teeth grinding together, “What are you doing here?” She glanced at Eric and Chat Noir for a split second before returning her gaze to the man in the black mask before them. He returned her gaze with a practically playful look on his pitiful face. He seemed to be enjoying himself, which was never a good sign.  
“I had sensed three out on patrol tonight instead of the usual two and I wanted to check it out for myself. I see we brought a little kitten with us today.” Hawkmoth jeered his lips curling into a distatestful shape. “I sense a lot of potential in the child” He added offhandedly.  
“Nice to hear,” Chat Noir growled back at Hawkmoth, “But I would appreciate if you leave the child out of our nice chat we seem to be having. Otherwise you and I will be having bigger problems.”  
“Cute,” Hawkmoth snorted, “But you don’t scare me.” Hawkmoth returned his attention back to Eric, as if he seemed interested in the leverage that Eric could offer him.  
Chat Noir felt and anger boil up inside of him at the thought of that. He refused to let a bully like Hawkmoth treat his family like that. Hawkmoth, Ladybug, and Chat Noir had battled on a couple occasions and each time seemed to be more taxing for Hawkmoth than the last. Chat Noir knew that this fight would be no different. He handed the now crying Eric over to Ladybug with a look of determination in his eyes. Their hands brushed briefly and her eyes seemed to be filled with a warning, Don’t do anything stupid, they said. Chat Noir nodded slightly at Ladybug before raising his hand in the air.  
“Cataclysm!” Chat Noir shouted and spun back around lunging at Hawkmoth. Hawkmoth moved fluidly, evading Chat Noir’s cataclysm surprisingly well. Chat Noir missed, but he felt Hawkmoth hand brush against his side and he was automatically filled with a feeling of pain. His body trembled and he collapsed to the ground. Somewhere in the back of his mind he heard Ladybug scream his name, but she sounded so far away. What felt like a thousand volts of electricity ran through his body. It was a painful experience to say the least. He convulsed unable to move as he realized that he was somehow paralyzed. A power neither Chat Noir nor Ladybug had seen him use before.  
As Chat Noir lay on the ground he faced Hawkmoth who was calmly walking towards Eric and Ladybug, with a sword in his hands. A sword that he hadn’t noticed in Hawkmoth’s hands before. It only took a millisecond for Chat Noir to realize Hawkmoth planned to use it on Ladybug or maybe even Eric. He tried to scream at them to run away, Ladybug was at a disadvantage with a child in her arms, but no words came out. Instead he heard Hawkmoth’s voice fill the air.  
“I will end your pitiful family,” Hawkmoth muttered.  
Ladybug had a look in her eyes that Chat Noir could only pinpoint as a mixture of anger and fear. She cradled a crying Eric in her arms as she looked around the enclosed alleyway that they were in, looking for a quick escape. Chat Noir tried again to push himself up off the ground, but it was practically impossible, his arms and legs felt like jello. He was helpless as he watched Hawkmoth attack his wife with the sword in his hands. Ladybug was avoiding each swing of the blade in her direction, but it was taking a toll on her. She was also running out of places to go, within a few more moments Hawkmoth had her cornered in the back of the alley. Chat Noir realized in horror that there was no escaping the next blow. Ladybug seemed to realize the same thing, as her eyes darted around frantically. They both knew she didn’t have the space or the time to use her lucky charm, she was entirely out of options.  
In a last ditch effort she threw her Yo-Yo at Hawkmoth. Sadly, he batted it out of the way as if it were nothing more than a small fly that was merely a pest. As Hawkmoth launched his sword at them Ladybug turned her body to an awkward to protect Eric from the blow. The sword drove into her side and her eyes instantly rolled into the back of her head. She collapsed to the ground. Chat Noir felt an inhuman sound come out of his throat. Despite the pain running through his body he felt newfound strength inside of him seeing the love of his life drop like a sack to the ground. He found himself on his feet and began to move towards where Hawkmoth was using his staff as a cane.  
Hawkmoth reached down, but instead of reaching for her miraculous like Chat Noir expected, he grabbed Eric. Panic filled Chat as he realized what Hawkmoth was going to do.  
“Get your hands off of him!” Chat Noir hollered. Eric was screaming with his arms outstretched to Chat Noir, wanting nothing more than to be back in his father’s arms. Hawkmoth began to laugh as a cloud of butterflies came out of nowhere. They surrounded everything making it impossible to move or even see. Suddenly Eric’s cries stopped, and Chat Noir was instantly filled with terror. He lunged in the direction that he had last heard Eric, where he was greeted with empty air. As quickly as the Butterflies appeared they disappeared, showing that Hawkmoth had vanished with Eric in tow. The only hint that they had even been there was a pair of small cat ears on the ground. Chat Noir fell to his knees and began to cry. Their little prince, was gone.


	2. Picking up the Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Years begin to pass and Adrien and Marinette learn to deal with the grief of losing their child, although the pain never fades. Adrien refuses to transform for five long years.

A week flew by, and every moment that Adrien didn’t spend by Marinette’s side was spent searching for Eric. He would frantically search the city for any sign of him. As the weeks went by he became more and more desperate, yet no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find him anywhere. By the time that Marinette had been released from the hospital, Adrien had given up all hope. He shut himself in their room for another week, refusing to talk to anyone besides Marinette.  
Marinette was also in a pit of despair, but she did a better job of hiding her pain to the public eyes. An announcement was made that the son of the famous power couple Marinette and Adrien Agreste was missing. The news traveled through Paris like wildfire and quickly became the only thing that anyone could talk about. Marinette couldn’t go anywhere without those around her casting her glances of pity as if they understood, but most of them didn’t. Months passed, Marinette tried to make new clothing designs, but everything seemed to have lost the magic that she used to have. Adrien refused to model at all.  
Many people in the fashion world were broken-hearted by the loss of such a wonderful power couple, but all of Paris was more distressed by what happened next. Chat Noir and Ladybug stopped going on patrol. Everyone was confused, unsure what had caused their sudden disappearance. Over time, Ladybug began to appear in public again to save the day, but would quickly vanish again once the akumas were defeated. Where she once had time for a couple of interviews after defeating an akuma, she now simply left without a word. Even more confusing, Chat Noir vanished altogether. Whenever anyone pushed Ladybug for details she would simply smile sadly, shake her head, and then run off. At first, Tikki and Plagg were upset that Adrien would no longer help fight the akumas that plagued the city, but both of them understood why this was the case and became a constant source of support during the couple’s trial.

  
Before long, the topic of Eric became old news. Gossip in the city moved on to newer things, like Chloe Bourgeois’ soon-to-be third husband. For Marinette and Adrien, however, the pain didn’t fade. They learned how pick themselves up every day and push their way through the pain that came with losing a child. Adrien began to work at the bakery with Tom. He liked being around all of the sweets, but mostly enjoyed not being forced to put on a smile and talk to people he hated.  
Life fell into a routine, the weeks turned into months. The months into years. It became too hard to live in their home. Everywhere they looked, the couple could see evidence that Eric’s small hands had been there, so they packed up and moved across town, giving up their view of the Eiffel Tower. They moved into a quiet apartment that was away from the activity of the city. Their new home was nowhere near as fancy, but it made it easier to deal with the hurt.  
The pain that resided in the hearts of both Adrien and Marinette became bearable, but never faded. A weight seemed to settle on their hearts that they couldn’t get rid of, but they learned to live with it. They could not find it within themselves to have another child. However, they found some small joy in playing with children, specifically Alya and Nino’s three kids. Their oldest, Lydia, was only a few months younger than Eric would have been.

Five years had passed, and one day Marinette made a decision that would launch their lives into another change. Adrien was working at the bakery when she burst into the room. She had a fiery look in her eyes and a purpose in her walk. Tikki trailed behind her, eyes darting around the room to make sure that Sabine or Tom weren’t around.  
Adrien looked up and gave marinette a half smile, his arms covered in sugary dough.  
“Good morning Princess, how can I help you on this fine day?” He asked, wiping his hands clean with a rag.  
His voice no longer purred like a cat as much as it once did, but he was in a better mood than he had been in a long time. She smiled at that, Adrien had been taking what happened to Eric very personally, and it had taken a toll on him. She hated to see him that way, but the past year had been easier for him to handle than those that had preceded it.  
“It’s time,” she announced, taking hold of his hand firmly.  
“I’m sorry?” He asked, tilting his head to one side. His cat-like tendencies had slowly started resurfacing as of late, and she loved seeing the Chat Noir in him again.  
“It’s time to stop acting like a bump on a log, and start acting like the cat I know you still are.” She responded. He remained silent, looking down at the floor.  
“Adrien, it’s time,” she continued. His head snapped up and he looked at her with tears in his eyes.  
“The last time I transformed, we lost him.” He choked, as tears began rolling down his face. “It’s my fault he is gone, my fault that you.... that you almost died. I’m bad luck, Mari.”  
Her face softened, she rose her hand to his face and cupped his cheek in her hand. “It’s not your fault that we lost him. You fought hard, Adrien, you fought for our son,” she said softly. “Don’t beat yourself up over something you had no control over.”  
She watched as his arms trembled slightly and she pulled him into a tight embrace. His arms hung at his sides like dead weight for a few moments. Slowly he rose his arms and returned her embrace. After a few moments, she pushed away and walked to the table where there was a plate of cheese. She picked up a chunk and tossed it at an ever eager Plagg.  
“Now get dressed,” She demanded, “the day is still young and Paris is eagerly awaiting the return of their favorite hero.” She transformed herself and strutted out of the room without another word, leaving Adrien behind his mouth hanging slightly open.  
****  
It took Adrien 40 minutes to transform. He had never needed that long before. The first time he had met Plagg he had jumped into the skin of Chat Noir as easy as breathing air. His alter ego had always felt like a part of him, so he never needed to coax himself into transforming. Chat Noir had always been his better half, his favorite half. Before Eric had disappeared the only issue had always been convincing his lazy kwami to transform him.  
The day that they lost Eric the roles had reversed. For five years, Plagg had tried talking him into transforming, and Adrien became the unwilling party. When Ladybug stormed out of the room, Adrien turned to see his Kwami grinning ear to ear.  
“I’m not going,” Adrien muttered, turning back to the dough on the counter. “I have work to do; besides, all I am is bad luck. Ladybug is better off without me.”  
Plagg only laughed at him.  
“What’s so funny?” Adrien asked, his head turning to look at the little black demon.  
“You are going to transform today.” Plagg responded, his smile somehow growing with every passing second.  
“I already told you, I’m not,” Adrien said calmly.  
“Oh, but you are. You would never dare disappoint your beautiful wife, and that is exactly what you will do if you don’t transform today.” Plagg practically purred. Adrien was so upset he almost smacked Plagg out of the air.  
Yet, as upset as Adrien was about it, Plagg was right. Marinette had had such a hopeful look on her face. She had seemed so sure that today was the day that Chat Noir would return. He would hate to disappoint her. Adrien sighed and looked at Plagg, he fingered his silver ring that hadn’t turned black in a long time.  
“Alright, I’m going to transform.”  
For the first time, Plagg seemed excited by those words. He was prepared and ready to go, but Adrien was not. He stood there looking at his ring for a long time. He clenched and unclenched his fist. Adrien knew the words to transform, but he didn’t know if he would be able to say them. His mouth seemed dry, and he took a few gasps of air.  
Anxiety grew in his stomach as he continued looking at his ring. The ring seemingly looked back at Adrien, mocking him. His eyes narrowed, and the anxiety started to become bearable.  
“I can do this,” He phrased it more as a question than a statement.  
He looked at Plagg, who nodded at Adrien encouragingly.  
“I can do it,” he said again, this time more confidently. “I can do this!” he said one more time, the words rolling off his tongue with more confidence than he had felt in a long time. “Plagg, transform me!” He shouted, loud enough for his lady to hear.  
Adrien knew that she probably had her ear pressed up against the outside door, waiting to see if he would actually transform. He knew that by uttering those words she would do a giddy dance around the room and then quickly compose herself. He knew that by transforming he had made his wife happy.  
A bright green flash of light filled the room as he felt himself become Chat Noir for the first time in five years. Electricity filled his soul and he felt a piece of himself come crashing back to the surface. After the transformation he looked down at his hands to see a his black claws and a dark ring stare back at him. It was a familiar sight, one that he hadn’t seen in years. He pulled the staff from his side and gripped it tightly in his hands, re-familiarizing himself with being Chat Noir. A small smile crept onto his face, it felt good to be Chat Noir. He had forgotten how good it felt. It was like he had been repressing a piece of himself for five long years, and now he was back.  
He took a few more moments to compose himself and then walked into the other room where Ladybug was waiting for him. She had a huge smile on her face and was practically glowing from excitement. After a few moments she composed herself and gave him a playful look. “Where the hell have you been?”


	3. The Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been five years since Marinette and Adrien lost their son. For the first time in five years Marinette has convinced Adrien to transform into Chat Noir. When an akuma attacks Chat must decide if he is ready to fight again. Then a mysterious boy shows up and he shatters Ladybug and Chat's worlds.

Paris from the rooftops looked different than Chat Noir remembered it being. New buildings had popped up around the city leaving Chat disoriented and a little confused to where it was that he was at. Ladybug was a few feet ahead of him using her Yo-Yo to gracefully leap from rooftop to rooftop. Every few moments she would casually eye him, as if she wasn’t concerned. Chat knew that she was. Moments after her coy comment in the bakery she had shoved him out onto the streets of Paris and had simply jumped away, leaving Chat to play catchup for the next few minutes. Leaping from rooftop to rooftop left Chat’s heart pounding and his arms and legs screaming for mercy. He was using muscles that he hadn’t used in five years and it could show. While Ladybug was able to breathlessly fly through the sky Chat Noir would tumble from building to building gulping in deep breaths whenever he could.  
He was so focused on keeping up with ladybug that he didn’t notice the people at first. It was the middle of the day so the crowds of Paris were at their peak. He looked down at the people to see them pointing back up at him. Everywhere they lept he could see people pausing in their busy lives and gaping a Chat. Many were frozen in place heads aimed towards the sky. Some were pointing out Chat to their other friends in excitement. Still others called out to him, waving their hands back and forth, hoping to catch his attention. Chat felt his heart skip a beat seeing all the people who were amazed and excited to see him. He turned his attention back to ladybug to see that she had come to a stop. Her chest rose and fell slowly showing no signs of exhaustion.  
Chat stopped next to her and collapsed to the ground gasping for air. He looked up at Ladybug with an exasperated look in his eyes. “My lady, what are you trying to do, kill me?” He gasped. She chuckled slightly a coy look on her face.  
“You have gotten rusty Chat,” She taunted, crouching next to his trembling body. “That’s what happens when you don’t transform for five long years.” Chat looked away feeling guilt boil up in his heart. He had let his pain of losing Eric get the better of him and he was sure ladybug had suffered for it. Ladybug rose from her crouching position and walked a few feet away to where many people were still looking up at the rooftop.  
“Must be a slow news day if all of Paris is that happy to see me,” Chat muttered.  
“They were worried about you Chat,” Ladybug responded without turning around. “You are such an amazing hero, and you vanished without them knowing why. They feared the worst had happened.”  
Chat didn’t know how to respond and instead let silence fall between the two of them. Instead he looked down at the crowd that was surrounding the building. People of all walks of life were swarming below them. Crowds like that used to excite him, before they lost Eric. Now all he felt was guilt. He felt ladybug kneel next to him and place her hand on his. Slowly he turned and looked at her.  
“You are amazing Chat, please believe me.” She pleaded. Her blue eyes searching his desperately.  
Chat opened his mouth to respond when he heard screams coming from below. They looked out into the crowd to see an akuma attack in place.  
“Crap,” Ladybug said under her breath, “How did we miss that?” She seemed annoyed that it had taken them so long to notice the akuma that was attacking. Chat felt his heart hammer slightly. He hadn’t been in action since the day he lost Eric.  
“My Lady,” He practically whispered. “I don’t know if I can do this.” She flashed him annoyed glance as the words left his lips, making him instantly regret those words. A beat passed and her face softened.  
“The only reason you won’t be able to beat this akuma is if you stay up here on the roof, but I guess that is your choice.” With that ladybug lept off the building and into the action that was going on below.  
Chat took a breath. Then another. He watched her battle the akuma with such finesse, showing that her skill had only improved since the day that they lost Eric. He thought the battle would be over quickly. The akumitized man introduced himself as “The Giant” and he wasn’t exaggerating. He lumbered at a frightening 7 feet. In his hands he held what looked like a ray gun. Even with his height and weapon advantage Ladybug seemed to be winning the fight. That was, until he hit her with the ray gun that set her sailing to the other side of the street. On impulse Chat called out for her, even though he knew it would do nothing. Without another thought he lept off the building and into the battle below. He refused to lose anyone else because of him.  
Upon reaching the ground Chat eyed the ray gun that had hit ladybug suspiciously. The man, consumed by the akuma, gripped it tightly in his hands.  
“Oh look at that,” the Giant cackled, “A little stray kitten has come to play.” Chat didn’t move, he gripped his stick tightly in his hands ready to fight. The man chuckled, “Oh don’t worry about your master little kitty. I simply knocked her out so that I could grab her miraculous. You will be in the same boat soon enough,” the man cackled, aiming the gun at Chat.  
“I’d love to see you try,” Chat responded cokily. “I don’t know if you have heard, but cats have excellent reflexes.”  
The Giant’s face scrunched up slightly, as if annoyed. He shot a laser from the gun at Chat Noir, but he jumped out of the way. The man shot again, but again Chat was a few steps ahead of the man. The two went on like that for a few more minutes. Chat kept one eye on ladybug the whole time, waiting for her to come to. Minutes passed quickly. Finally, Chat got annoyed and jumped towards the man. He swung hard with his staff and hit the man square on the head, knocking him out. The Giant collapsed to the ground with a loud thud. Leaving Chat the only man standing, as he attempted to catch his breath.  
That is when he heard footsteps behind him, he swung around to see a small boy, who looked to be about 8, with a purple mask standing over ladybug. The boy looked like a mini version of Hawkmoth, decked out in the exact same costume that Chat had seen hawkmoth in. Chat slowly walked to the boy, cautious of who he might be. The boy had a dark look in his eyes, filled with hate towards Chat Noir.  
“What are you doing out here kid?” Chat Noir asked, hoping for a logical answer, though not expecting one. The streets were deserted, the people of Paris had all fled to the safety of their homes. So Chat wasn’t sure why a child would be out on the streets.  
The boy stood there, his dark look not changing. Instead he moved closer to Chat Noir. “I never thought I would see the day where I got to meet you in person.” The boy spat. His voice was filled with hate and contempt, though Chat could not figure out why.  
“You and half of Paris, kid,” Chat responded, feeling a little guilty again.  
“Paris was looking forward to the day you came back with excitement, I looked towards this day with only one thing in mind,” The boy growled.  
Chat took another step towards the boy. “”What would that be?” He asked.  
“Vengeance,” The boy said, pointing a gun at Chat’s chest. Chat looked down at the gun a little taken aback. What could he have done to this boy, the child would have been very young the last time that Chat transformed. What could he have done to make a small boy so angry?  
He opened his mouth to ask when he noticed Ladybug stir from behind the boy.  
“Any last words, Chat Noir?” The boy spat at him, shoving the nuzzle closer towards him.  
“I uh...” He didn’t get to finish his sentence.  
An angry shout came from ladybug’s throat. She lept from where she stood and collided with the boy, sending them both to the ground. The gun went flying from the boy’s hands and landed in front of Chat. Chat picked it up like it was a piece of stinky cheese. He turned his attention back to the boy, who Ladybug had pinned to the ground. The boy had an angry look on his face as he struggled underneath Ladybug’s grip.  
“Who are you?” Chat asked. The boy looked at Chat, as if amazed.  
“You don’t even remember me?” The boy asked, dumbfounded. “You ruined my life and you don’t even have the courtesy to remember me?”  
“Ruined your life? What do you mean?” Ladybug queried. She looked as confused as Chat felt. The boy didn’t respond, he simply looked at both Chat and Ladybug.  
“What could we have done to you,” Chat Probed, “The last time I transformed you would have still been in diapers. What could--”  
“You murdered my parents!” The boy hollered, cutting Chat off. “You murdered my parents when I was only three. I can’t even remember them, but Hawkmoth told me what happened.” Chat and Ladybug looked at each other frantically, both thinking the same thing.  
“Did you say you were three years old when this happened?” Ladybug asked, her tone taking a kind turn.  
“What, do you remember now?” The boy spat. “Yes, I was three. No more than a toddler. My parents loved me and you took that away from me.” At this point Ladybug and Chat felt their hearts hammering out of their chests. Ladybug reached for the boy’s mask and pulled it off of his head.  
As soon as the mask was off their worlds came crashing in. A mop of blonde hair fell around the boy’s head. His face was a dark scowl, but it couldn’t hide the striking resemblance to the model standing beside ladybug. Except for the boy’s blue eyes and freckles he looked exactly like Adrien had at 8 years old. Chat felt his knees buckle and he dropped to the ground, discarding the gun from his hands. Ladybug felt tears come to her eyes. Both of them knew, without a shadow of a doubt, who the boy in front of them was. Chat felt his lips move. He whispered the boy’s name almost reverently hoping that the boy would respond. “Eric?” The boy looked at Chat, his face dark.  
“My name is Black Butterfly.” He announced proudly. Chat felt his stomach drop as he realized that Hawkmoth hadn’t even allowed Eric to keep his name. Ladybug felt her grip loosen and Eric used the opportunity to free himself from her grasp.  
Eric lept a few feet away and grabbed Chat’s staff, which had long since been forgotten. He gripped it tightly in his hands and glared at the both of them still on the ground, too shocked to make any sudden movements. Eric walked over to where the forgotten akumitized man lay unconscious on the ground. He kicked the man in the ribs waking him from his unconscious state. The man sat up and looked at Eric. “Well don’t just sit there, you buffon. Get up and fight.” The Giant rose to his feet, rubbing his head where Chat had last hit him. He picked up the gun and aimed it at Ladybug, who lept out of the way at the last second. She still looked dazed, but had begun to compose herself in the face of danger. She lept a few yards away and The Giant followed, leaving Chat alone with Eric.  
Eric took a step towards Chat again, and Chat felt a few tears escape his eyes. This wasn’t the first time that he had cried over Eric, but it was the first tears of joy he had felt for him in five long years.  
“For a murderer, you sure do cry a lot.” Eric muttered, moving closer to Chat.  
“I have a lot to cry about, Eric.” Chat responded, emphasising his name. Eric’s face darkened even further. He gripped Chat’s stick in his hands tightly.  
“I told you already, that’s not my name. It is Black Butterfly.” He said through gritted teeth. Chat opened his mouth to respond, but Eric didn’t let him speak. Instead he swung Chat’s stick and hit him square in the head knocking him over on to his side. Chat didn’t bother fighting back, he just took the blows, Eric screamed in anger as he hit Chat again and again. Each blow stronger and more confident than the last.  
******  
A few miles away Ladybug’s fight with the Giant was nearing its end. She hadn’t even needed to summon her lucky charm yet. The Giant was disoriented from the blow that Chat had served him earlier making their fight very one sided. As they fought all Ladybug could think about was Eric. He was alive. The mere thought filled Ladybug to the brim with joy. She had long ago assumed that Hawkmoth had done away with Eric, to give a blow to the dynamic duo. She had never assumed that Eric was still alive. That he had been raised by a terrible man like hawkmoth.  
One purified butterfly later and the fight was over. The citizen rubbed his head asking what happened, but Ladybug did not have time for answers. She turned on her heels and sprinted towards where she had last left Eric and Chat Noir. As she neared she heard the whack of Chat’s stick against something hard. She turned a corner to see a bloody Chat Noir laying on the ground. Eric stood over him hitting him again and again with his own stick. Without even thinking Ladybug let out a blood curdling scream. Eric stopped and looked at ladybug, taken off guard that he hadn’t heard her walk up. Beneath him Chat was motionless, not moving a muscle.  
“What did you do, Eric?” She asked tears coming to her eyes.  
“My name is not--” Eric began, but was cut off by a flash of green. Underneath him Chat had detransformed. His last sentence forgotten, Eric crouched by Adrien, as if he was excited to finally see the true identity of Chat Noir. Upon investigation of his face, Eric fell backwards in shock. The man lying before Eric looked like a much older version of himself. Ladybug looked as his face turned from shock to pure horror. “That is not the face of a murderer,” He stammered. His voice was shaky and unconfident for the first time that day. He turned and looked at Ladybug and she saw that tears had formed in his eyes.  
He stood and looked at her deep blue eyes, the back again at Chat Noir. Eric shook his head desperately, and fled down the street.  
“No, wait!” Ladybug called after him as he turned the corner. She ran to follow him, but when she reached the corner he was gone, vanished into the streets of paris. Ladybug felt a rock drop in her stomach. For the second time in her life, she had lost her son.


	4. What's In a name?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eric begins to realize there might be something that is off about what hawkmoth has been telling him.

One week later Adrien went back to modeling. He would have gone sooner, but he was so battered and bruised from the fight that he was worried no photographer would want him in that state. Once the wounds on his face had healed he called up his agent. Half of Paris heard her shrieks of joy. After her excitement had died down she asked what had made him decide to come back into the modeling circuit. He didn’t tell her about Eric, nor did he tell her about the fact that he wanted to get his face out there for him to see. He didn’t say how desperate Mari and he were to see Eric returned to their sides. All he said was “It’s time.” That answer was enough for his agent. Within the hour she had several gigs lined up for him, magazines and fashion designers were desperate to be the first to get their hands to the great Adrien Agreste. To Adrien no job was too small, he agreed to do anything. He even did a quick photo shoot with middle of the line magazines that he never would have given a second glance 5 years ago. As result, within mere weeks Paris had his face all over billboards again.  

“Do you think it will be enough?” Marinette asked one day as they passed a rather large billboard with his face plastered across it. It had been almost three weeks since they had seen Eric and desperation had found it’s way deep into both of their hearts. “Will it help Eric at all?” She continued, not waiting for an answer to her first question. “He is all alone, Adrien. All alone with that mad man. I can’t stand the thought of it. What if he isn’t in a place with billboards? Or magazines? What if he doesn’t come looking for us? What if--”

“Hey it’ll be alright,” Adrien cut her off. Tears were streaming down her face and he brushed them from her cheeks. He took her face in his hands and looked deeply into her eyes. “Princess, I promise you. I will do whatever it takes to bring our little boy home. We know he is still out there, and from the looks of it he can take care of himself pretty well.” Marinette nodded, tears still streaming down her face. Adrien smiled sadly and pulled her into a tight hug, resting his chin on the top of her head. He felt her body tremble underneath his, though he wasn’t sure if it was from the cold or because she was crying. He tried his best to comfort her and after a few seconds she pushed away from his grasp. Her face was red, and her mascara smeared. Adrien sighed and put his arm gently around her shoulder.

“Let’s go home Mrs. Agreste,” He said calmly. She nodded and they began the long walk home.

*****

Across Paris, Eric was whispering the same three sentences to himself over and over again, “My name is Black Butterfly. Ladybug and Chat Noir Killed my parents. Hawkmoth is helping me seek revenge.” The word’s rolled easily off his tongue, but they were stale. He opened his mouth to utter the phrase again, “My name is--” He was cut off by acurt knock at his door. Black Butterfly eyeballed it sideways before rolling out of his small bed. With two quick steps he was at his door, but Hawkmoth had already opened it. As usual, Hawkmoth was in full costume.  He refused to reveal his identity to Black Butterfly, claiming that it would help protect him from Ladybug and Chat Noir. 

Hawkmoth had a dark, disappointed look on his face. He had been carrying that look around since the “Giant Fiasco” from three weeks ago. “Black Butterfly, I will be leaving for two days.” Hawkmoth announced curtly.

“What? Why?” Black Butterfly asked, though he already knew the answer. For a few days every month or so, what little time Hawkmoth spent with Black Butterfly would disappear completely. Hawkmoth always gave a different excuse, but Black Butterfly was sure it had something to do with the identity he knew nothing about. When he was younger it had been agony to see the only father he had known leave, but he had learned to enjoy the days of solitude.

“I am going to search for a more powerful host for an akuma than what can be found in this city.” Hawkmoth said, pulling Black Butterfly out of his own thoughts. He nodded once and Hawkmoth took that as his cue to leave.  As usual, Black Butterfly was left alone in a small house in the middle of nowhere. 

Black Butterfly spun on his heels and lay back down on his bed, the soft sheets brushing against his skin. A pile of magazines lay on his bedside table, his only contact with the outside world. Hawkmoth had kept Black Butterfly completely off the grid, leaving him without any friends. Out of pure boredom he lifted one of the magazines off of the stack. It was a fashion magazine, filled to the brim with ridiculous models dressed up in equally ridiculous designs. Black Butterfly snorted at the cover model for the latest issue. The poor girl had been dressed in an ugly rendition of Ladybug’s costume. The words  _ Now YOU can look like Ladybug _ , were plastered across the top of the magazine. Black Butterfly chuckled to himself, knowing full well that no one would mistake anyone for ladybug in that terrible design. 

Black Butterfly rolled his eyes and absentmindedly flipped through the magazine consumed with thought. Then his eyes got caught on a page with big lettering that said  _ The Prodigal Son Returns.  _ He scoffed at the cliche title and glanced down at the picture, sure he would see some equally cliche model in a subpar costume. Instead he was greeted by a familiar face that shocked him so much he dropped the magazine. From the floor of his room the man behind Chat Noir’s mask looked back up at him with a huge smile. Black Butterfly felt his heart hammer in his chest, though he could no longer tell what he was feeling. Before his meeting with Chat Noir three weeks ago the only thing he felt towards Paris’s dynamic duo was blinding rage, but all that had changed when Chat Noir had detransformed.

Black Butterfly slowly picked the magazine up off the ground and sat it in his lap, looking at the picture in wonder. The man looked so much like himself that it scared him. As he had stood over Chat Noir’s civilian form, Black Butterfly couldn’t help but feel connected to him, and not just because they looked so similar. There was something about the man that had seemed comforting to him, more like a father figure than Hawkmoth had ever been. Black Butterfly chuckled to himself, shaking the ridiculous idea from his head. He only felt that way because the two had begun calling him by the ridiculous name of “Eric” from the moment that they ripped his mask off. Still, they had both seemed so sure that he would respond to that name, and it made him wonder...

He shook his head again and looked back down at the magazine, trying to clear his head. His eyes gravitated towards a paragraph beside the picture. It was a description of who this man was. He flipped the page, not wanting to torment himself further with a description of the man that helped murder his parents. He flipped through a few more pages, the thought of the paragraph burning in the back of his mind. A few more beats passed when curiosity finally got the better of him. With a resigned growl he turned back to the page with the man on it. His eyes quickly darted to the words located on the side of the page, soaking in every word.

 

_ Adrien Agreste has returned to the world of modeling! It has been five years since he has done any form of modeling and the fashion industry is excited for his return. Adrien has said that he and his wife, Marinette Agreste (owner of the famous Dupain-Cheng fashion corp.), had decided it was time for him to return to the fashion scene. Close friends of the family say Adrien abruptly stopped modeling more than five years ago due to the mysterious disappearance of their son, Eric Agreste.... _

 

Black Butterfly felt himself gasp despite himself, his eyes focused on the name Eric. It was the same stupid name that Ladybug and Chat Noir kept calling him. He felt his hand shake as he realized the two thought that he was their son. It would have been a ridiculous idea to Black Butterfly, if it weren’t for the fact that Adrien Agreste looked so similar to him .He looked at the rest of the paragraph for answers, but it simply concluded with a few quotes from Adrien’s agent. Angry, he threw the magazine across the room. He heard it land with a thwack to the ground, but he didn’t pay it any attention. Black Butterfly had begun tearing through his pile of magazines, looking for any other picture of Adrien Agreste he could find. Black Butterfly began to realize that most of the magazines were more than a month old, and all of those magazines didn’t feature any sign of Adrien. Black Butterfly was halfway through his stack of magazines when he gave up. He was being ridiculous anyways. “Adrien Agreste isn’t my father,” Black Butterfly whispered, “He killed my father.” He put his head in his hands and repeated to himself the story that Hawkmoth had been telling him for years.

“My name is Black Butterfly. Five years ago Ladybug and Chat Noir murdered my parents because they had discovered that the two were secretly supervillians. Hawkmoth took me in and raised me. He has given me the tools to avenge my parents....” He trailed off and looked back at the magazine he had thrown to the other end of the room. He walked over and picked it up, opening it to the page that Adrien Agreste was on. He slid to the floor as he read the paragraph again and again. 

“My name is Black Butterfly,” he whispered again. His heart was beating out of his chest. Pieces of doubt chiseled away at the icy hate that he had had towards Chat Noir and Ladybug for five years. No matter how hard he tried to shake the feeling, the sense of hope had found its way into his emotions. He tried to remind himself of who he was again, “My name is...” he trailed off and looked down at the picture of Adrien. His smile inviting, making him feel more at home than he ever had with Hawkmoth. He opened his mouth to finish his sentence then closed it again. The silence in his room defining. He looked back down at the paragraph and saw the name Marinette. An image of blue eyes flashed into his mind’s eye, as if a memory. The final piece of his puzzle fell into place. “Eric. My name is Eric.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! I have been working on the depressing part since February and It will be nice to see the family reunited once more. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has shown support for this fanfic, it means a lot to me. Fun fact, a friend and I actually came up with the idea together. Once this story is over she is actually going to be making comics about it. At that point we will be posting all of it on our tumblr:   
>  www.tumblr.com/blog/lost-n-paris  
> Feel free to go there and yell at me about how much I have made you hurt due to this fanfic.


	5. Come Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eric finds help from the most unlikely party.

The streets of Paris were cold and rainy, thunder clapped in the distance as a small boy in a black hoodie ran down the streets of Paris. He ran into a woman with a copious amount of shopping bags sending her things flying everywhere. The woman seemed annoyed, but he flashed her a look that silenced any anger she had. The boy’s face looked so pitiful the woman couldn’t help but feel bad for him. He seemed desperate to get somewhere, but his eyes darted in every direction as if he didn’t know where that somewhere was. People stopped to look at him curiously, but then continued walking as he turned a corner. 

Eric’s legs were screaming at him to stop. He had been running the streets of Paris for hours. As soon as he had come to terms with the fact that he was Eric Agrest he couldn’t spend another moment in Hawkmoth’s home. He had grabbed the first sweatshirt he had seen and ran out the door. In his desperation Eric had completely forgotten that he had no idea where his parents lived. As a result he ended up wandering the streets of Paris for hours. By the time that Eric had ran into the woman it was beginning to get dark, and the temperature was dropping by the second. If he didn’t find them soon he wouldn’t have anywhere to go that night. Eric felt stupid. Paris was a huge city, filled with many houses as well as countless apartments. Even if he found the general area where the Agrestes were located he would still have a huge amount of ground to cover. Not for the first time in his life Eric felt completely alone. 

His body was weak and Eric felt all hope leaving his body. He passed a park and spotted a park bench. Although Eric’s heart wanted to keep going, his legs screamed to stop. He walked over to the park bench and sat down on the grainy wood. The bench was old, it looked like it had been there since the dawn of time. He ran his hand across the splintering wood as he thought about the mess he had gotten himself in to. Eric hadn’t even stopped to consider the fact that Adrien and Marinette might not be his parents, but it felt so right that he had jumped without thinking what would happen if no one was there to catch him. He felt tears come to his eyes and he pulled his knees up to his chin and started to cry. Even if Eric did find who he hoped were his parents that mean he had mercilessly beaten his father just a few weeks prior.  _ What if they don’t want me anymore?  _ Eric thought to himself. He shivered, and not from the cold.

“Hey Kid, can you move over? I need a place to sit.” A high soprano practically demanded. Eric looked up to see a blonde woman who looked to be in her late twenties standing there. She was fiddling with a giant wedding ring that was attached to her left hand, but also gave Eric a sideways glance. Eric nodded and slid silently to one side of the bench. The blonde plopped down on the bench and began digging through her purse. “It is just my luck to lose my keys the day of my rehearsal dinner,” The woman complained. She looked at Eric with a sly smile on her face. “This is my third husband you know, each of them fabulously wealthy.” The woman was bragging, and didn’t even care that it was a kid that she was bragging to. Eric nodded, not really caring, and pulled the magazine out of his hoodie’s pocket.

The blonde woman kept rambling about her life. Not in a mean way, just proud of who she had become. Eric kept nodding as if he was still listening as he flipped to the page with Adrien on it. He fingered the page lightly, feeling his loneliness fade just by looking at Adrien’s face. The blonde woman stopped mid sentence and looked at the magazine in Eric’s hands.

“Well would you look at that, It’s Adrien Agreste.” She voiced in awe, all her pride suddenly gone. She grabbed the magazine out of Eric’s hands, completely oblivious to him. The woman seemed to have been cast by a spell, completely drawn in by the picture of Adrien.

“Hey,” Eric cried, “Give that back.” The woman jumped a little in her seat and turned to look at Eric, the spell broken. Her face turned bright red as it became apparent to Eric that she was embarrassed.

“Sorry,” She apologized sheepishly handing the magazine back to Eric, “I guess I was just surprised to see Adrien in a magazine. I’ve been so caught up planning to become Mrs. Monier that I didn’t notice that Adrien is modeling again.” Eric looked at her amazed. He had only been free on the streets of paris for a few hours and he had seen no less than 10 advertisements with Adrien’s face on it. She laughed awkwardly and looked down at the boy her sly smile returned. “You know, Adrien and I used to be good friends when we were kids.”

Now she had Eric’s attention. “You know him,” He asked excitedly.

“Yes, I actually knew both him and his wife Marinette.” She looked to the ground, the pride suddenly leaving her again. “We went to school together, but back then, well I couldn’t see past the front of my nose. I did things... Said things i’m not proud of. Especially to Marinette. Well eventually I pushed Marinette too far, and she snapped. I thought Adrien would take my side, but.....” she paused for a long time. Eric wanted to shake her, but decided to let her take her time. “He didn’t.” She said finally. “Well anyways, after that I realized I was in need of a change, not as much as everyone kept saying, but I do try to be nicer now. My daugher sure seems to like me, and hey, I haven’t been the cause of an akuma attack in years. Well except for my ex-husband” she mumbled the last sentence, as if she didn’t want Eric to hear that part. Finally she seemed to be done with her monologue, giving Eric a chance to jump in.

“Do you know where I could find them?” Eric asked anxiously. His heart hammered, hoping that the answer would be yes. As he asked the question she pulled a set of keys out of her purse.

“Aha, finally.” She exclaimed, then turned to look at Eric. His eyes were pleading and he saw a piece of her break on the inside. She looked down at her wedding ring, then back at Eric, obviously torn. Finally she sighed, “What the hell, I’m already late as it is, what’s a few more minutes. Yeah I can take you to them,” she rubbed his head playfully “Come on. I’ll drive you, but as soon as we get to the building I’ve got to book it.”

“Thank you!” Eric exclaimed following after her. “This means so much to me.”

For the first time that evening the woman gave Eric a sincere smile. “Thanks kid,” she held the door to a pink car open for him. “Has anyone ever told you that you look a lot like Adrien? What’s your name anyways kid?” She asked.

“Eric,” He uttered politely.

“My names Chloe,” She declared, before closing the door behind him.

“Thank you Chloe,” Eric whispered so that she couldn’t hear. 

It was dark by the time they reached the Agrestes' apartment complex. It was a really nice place, designed for the paris elite from the looks of it. Eric bounced up and down in his seat excited as he looked at the building. 

“This is place,” Chole announced, “you know I actually live a couple of floors below them,” she proclaimed, trying to get one more brag in before Eric left. Then more seriously, “You know, kid, It’s getting late do your parents know you are here.”

Eric looked up at the building, “They will soon.”

“Ok, well the Agrestes live in the loft apartment at the top. I’m two floors below them...” she paused, “you know in case you get stranded here.” Eric nodded, thankful for the woman’s help, even if she was a little braggy. He smiled at her and began his walk towards the building. 

******

Marinette looked at the dinner that Adrien had cooked, but didn’t eat it. She pushed the mashed potatoes back and forth, letting them grow cold. Adrien eyed her, concerned. 

“You know Mari, despite popular belief food doesn’t actually help you unless you eat it.” He purred, trying to get her to smile. She looked up at him and then back down at her plate, not even giving him a slight smile. Adrien frowned and reached across the table and grabbed her hand. She looked back at him sadly. “Hey, It’ll be okay.” Adrien reassured her, though he knew he couldn’t be that convincing. He was a storm of emotions on the inside, but he was determined to keep it together this time for Marinette. Last time Marinette had to keep it together because Adrien had lost himself entirely. This time would be different.

She nodded once, and he took her hand to his mouth, kissing it lightly. She reached up and cupped Adrien’s face with her hand. “Thank you my love.” She said simply. Then she excused herself from the table to wash her dish of uneaten food. As she was drying it there was a knock at the door. Adrien rose to get it, but Marinette held out her hand; signaling that she would get the door. She dried her plate on her apron as she went to the doorway, escaping Adrien’s field of vision. He heard their front door open slowly. Adrien waited for Marinette’s customary greeting, but it never came. Instead he heard the crash of her plate hitting the ground. His heart sped up and fear gripped his chest. He was worried that something terrible had happened to Marinette. He was out of his chair and to the doorway in a flash, but when he turned the corner his beating heart dropped to the floor. 

Marinette was kneeling on the ground tightly gripping a small boy with blonde hair. Adrien couldn’t see the boy’s face, but he didn’t need to. He already knew who it was. He let out a cry and engulfed both Marinette and Eric in a giant bear hug. For the first time in years he felt a weight lift off of his shoulder. Marinette was crying as he whispered “My boy, My little prince...” Time didn’t seem to matter to the three of them anymore. Each felt whole in ways that they couldn’t begin to describe. None of them spoke, instead they simply hugged each other tightly. After five years, their small family was finally reunited. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eric didn't your mother ever tell you not to get in a car with strange women????
> 
> Well that about wraps it up. There will be a short epilogue that I'm going to release within the next few days so stick around for that. I have big plans for a couple of more fanfics in the near future. One is fluff and the other could technically be a continuation of this, so stay on the lookout for that!
> 
> As always our tumblr is https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lost-n-paris
> 
> check us out, yell at me. Or give me and idea of what you would like to see next for the Agreste family.


	6. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Psssst I am working on a new fanfic so you should totally go check it out. It is titled swapped. 
> 
> If you can't get enough of Eric Agreste and his family never fear. This is just the first part of a three part series called family ties. So Although this epilogue is really really short, the Agreste family will be back before you know it. So just sit back and relax, they will be back soon.

As hard as it had been when Marinette and Adrien lost Eric, that is how easy life became when he returned. Their family became whole again, and they were constantly trying to make up for lost time. For weeks after Eric’s return Marinette and Adrien would not let him leave their sides. As much as any other child would hate having their parents constantly there Eric loved it. It was the first time in his life that he actually received any attention. Sometimes he would wake up in the middle of the night screaming, plagued with nightmares that Hawkmoth was coming to take him away. Marinette would come running into the room with Adrien close on her tails. The two were able to calm him down in a way that he never thought would be possible. Marinette would reassure him that if Hawkmoth ever showed his face in Paris again he would find his hands cut off, by the string of a Yo-Yo. Eventually the nightmares faded. As the weeks turned into months Eric was sent off to school, public school. For the first time in his life he actually had friends his own age. He became fast friends with Chloe’s daughter, Maya, much to his mother’s shock. It wasn’t long before Eric had built a life for himself in the home of his parents. Their family was happy, and he felt whole. When Marinette announced a second pregnancy Eric jumped and screamed for joy just as much as Adrien, he was excited to have a little sibling. His little sister, Grace, was born on his ninth birthday. Everything was perfect. Everything was destined to remain perfect. Often Eric was reminded how grateful he was to have two loving parents. He knew that his life would be better than he could ever imagine, because he had finally come home.


End file.
